There are currently various types of hoists and winches that are commercially available. There are three main categories: mechanical, electrical and pneumatic. With the mechanical devices, the user is required to provide the force necessary to operate the hoist. In the electrical devices, an electrical system of a selected voltage is installed and connected to the hoist. The pneumatic devices use air or liquid to drive the motion. Both the electrical and pneumatic systems require a permanent connection to the power source. The permanent connection to power makes their installation expensive and cumbersome especially when multiple hoists need to be installed.